Gardening with Kids
Let’s talk about Gardening with your kids! This is one of my favorite topics to talk about and you may or may not have kids at home or whatever your circumstance is but I think you’ll find a key take away from today’s post.
Children are so innocent and interested in everything, maybe even to the point it annoys the stink outta ya. I get that, sometimes I just want to Get It Done and here they come all distracting me, not planting in straight rows, complaining their hungry…Ok you get the point.
But they have this awesome way of looking at everything. They don’t have the bazillion thoughts in their head, the long long list of to do’s lingering over them. They are just present and aware. I need to remind myself often to just stop, watch them, and frankly be like them more often. Yes there’s so much to get done, we all have an immense amount of “stuff” to do am I right? But how they see things, feel things and look at things is God’s way of reminding us that we can’t take all this “stuff” to heaven. So just be present with them, aware of how they are looking at things and copy them. It’s good for ya. There’s also a video below on how I quickly get some things planted, you could use this trick then have the kids plop the onions or seeds right in for ya.
Here’s my Top Tips for Gardening with Kids
- Give them a designated space they can plant in
- Add a trellis made out of some poles and old chicken fencing
- Throw in whatever seeds you have extra
- Let them plant how they want to plant
- Give them some guidance (basics like the seed has to be under the dirt, it needs water, etc)
- Let them play in the dirt and discover the fun (you could join them to)
- As the vegetable grows they’ll be able to pick and eat it whenever they want and feel such pride & satisfaction that THEY DID IT!!
This can also be used as an amazing experience to talk to them about God (if you choose to, of course). Let them know they are like the seed and with the proper conditions (water, light, sunshine) they to can grow in His word. And a great one to use as an example is the Parable of the Sower & The Seed from Matthew 13.
You’ll be amazed at how good they actually do! I layout my garden in long 100 foot rows and I”ll tell them for example the onions need to be about 3 inches apart from each other and show them it’s the size of their hand, now go ahead and do three rows! If some do not get covered enough, or it went in upside down, or some are to close. It’ll be ok. They are learning not only the how to plant but that I trust them enough in the garden and with such an important task.
What have you done with your kids in the garden? Comment below or back on today’s Facebook Post!Â
As the season goes on they are also great at weeding, hoeing, picking the harvest and washing the veggies! This is where I use the fishing table hooked up to a hose right at the garden Favorite way to clean veggies: a fish cleaning table that you hook up to your hose near your garden so when you wash your veggies the dirt and nutrients go right back into the garden. This is genius is it not? All those root crops that you’ll dig up with all the glorious dirt really should be put back into your garden and not your septic system. At Christmas & Black Friday time I have been able to get these from Bass Pro shops for around $50 on black Friday if they don’t run out.Â
So let them have fun and plant even if it’s not like what you have planned (that’s why I give them a designated space)! And the Takeaway for ALL – Be like a Child- Be Present, Be in Wonder and Enjoy!
Here is our outside “hillbilly canning” while we made tomato sauce and canned it all outside, everyone helped! (click for video)
Lovely veggies that the kids washed for me.
Here’s Garden Video with some Tips & Tricks for Planting
